Varanasi
or Banaras is one of the oldest cities of
India. This city has found place in the
Buddhist scriptures as well the epic of
Mahabharata. In Pali language Varanasi was
called Banarasi hence it got the name 'Banaras'.
Varanasi is also called 'Kashi' or the city
of spiritual light. Kashi is the place where
Shiva and Parvati stood when the "time
started ticking".
This ancient city of India is located on
holiest river of India--Ganga. This relation
is unique and has attracted thousands of
pilgrims. One theory also goes that Varanasi
is located on the land between the river
Varuna and Assi hence the name Varanasi.
This town also has its place in history with
many events and incidents being related with
it. From time immemorial Varanasi has been
the center of education, religion, art and
culture. For every visitor Varanasi has
different experiences to offer. The
shimmering red and golden water of the
Ganges when rays of dawn falls on them, the
high banks, the temples, the Ashrams, the
pavilions all are an experience in
themselves.
Varanasi
Chanting of Mantras, the hymns along with
the fragrance of incense in fills the air
with mysticism which entrails every person.
The refreshing dip in the Ganges with the
splashing of water along the ghats-- in
Varanasi discovery and experience takes to
the ultimate bliss.
Not only for its temples, Ghats and Ganges
Banaras has produced many exponents of art,
music, literature and crafts. These people
were not different from others but it was
the tradition of Banaras which moulded them
in the way they came out to be. Why only the
luminaries, Varanasi has excelled in the art
of silk weaving. The Banarasi silk sarees
and brocades are cherished as collector's
items across the world.
As a eternal city with rich and vibrant
past, it has no exquisitely carved palaces,
no impregnable fort no architectural
splendour but still the city has an inherent
charm of its own.The ghats dotted with
temples, the maze of alleys along the ghats,
what ever Varanasi has is enough to attract
the visitor again and again. The city which
did not die even after being plundered many
times in is a true sense a fascinating area
to wander around.
§ The Ghats Of Varanasi
In this ancient city of pilgrimage, the
bathing ghats are main attraction. People
flock here in large numbers every day to
take bath and worship in the temples built
beside the river bank. Centuries old
tradition to offer puja to the rising Sun is
still maintained.
§ St. Mary's Church
Situated in the cantonment area of
Benaras (Varanasi) the St. Mary's Church has
a low tower, spire and projecting poitico.
Instead of windows tile, church has louvred
doors to the sides and hooded ventilation
slots beneath the cornice.
§ The Kashi Vishwanath Temple / Gyanvapi
Mosque
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is popularly known as the golden Temple
due the Gold plating done on its 15.5 meter
high spire. One tonne of gold donated by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been used in the
gold plating of the spire. The temple was
destroyed in the various invasions and was
rebuilt in 1776 by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore.
§ Bharat Mata Temple
This temple is dedicated to Mother
India. Just one kilometer from the Varanasi
station. The temple is built in the Mahatma
Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth which was built by
Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt. This temple was
inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936 so
that the citizens could respect Mother India
in statue form. The statute is built in
marble. The statue is a replica of undivided
India in three dimension which has the
mountains, plains and oceans in right
proportion.
§ Tulsi Manas Temple
This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama.
The temple is built in the place where
Goswami Tulsidas composed the epic 'Ramacharitramanas'
which provides us with detailed description
of the history and deeds of Lord Rama. Tulsi
Manas Temple was constructed by a
philanthropist family in 1964.
§ Durga Temple
Built in the 8th century, the Durga
temple is one of the most important temples
in Varanasi. This temple is built in Nagara
Style. The shikhara of the temple is formed
by many small spires which are built one on
top of the other.
Varanasi§ Nepali Temple
The King of Nepal had built this temple on
Lalita ghat in Nepali style. The Nepali
temple is also called the 'Kathwala temple'.
The temple has some magnificent woodwork.
Tourist from all over the world come just to
see this temple which has no comparison with
any other temple in India. The workers who
carved this temple out were brought from
Nepal. The wood used in the temple is also
found in Nepal. The speciality of this wood
is that termites do not eat this wood.
§ Bharat Kala Museum
The Kashi Hindu university has a museum
which has a very rich collection of precious
and rare historical artifacts, statues,
pictures, paintings and manuscripts. This
small but very well maintained museum gives
an over view of the ancient city of
Varanasi. Entry in the museum is free but
check out the timings.
§ Ram Nagar Durg
2 kms from the Kashi Hindu university,
across the Ganges is located the ancestral
house in the fort which was built by the
former rulers of Kashi. In one of the
sections of the fort is the museum which
displays the royalty which was once part of
the kingdom.
This museum gives an insight into the
grandeur which once prevailed in the fort.
On the Ramnagar Pandav road is a beautiful
Durga temple. This temple has very delicate
and intricate carving done on stone. These
carvings are worth giving a look.
§ Benaras Hindu University
This is the largest and oldest
university in north India. Spread over an
area of 2,000 acres, this great place of
education was established by Pt. Madan Mohan
Malaviya. Today the campus has faculties of
Arts, Science, Music, Sanskrit, Languages,
Engineering, Statistics and Medical to name
a few of them.
The university also has the huge Vishwanath
temple which was built and maintained by the
Birla family. The Sunderlal Medical center
has all the modern facilities of medical
field is also located in the university
campus.
§ Nandeshwar Kothi
Nandeshwari Kothi, designed by James Prinsep
is a typical building of the early 19th
century in Benaras.
§ Jantar Mantar
The ruler of Jaisingh built an
observatory in Varanasi in line with those
built in Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain and Jaipur
observatories. The Varanasi observatory has
all the instruments which were required to
record the motion , speed and properties of
various stars and planets and other cosmic
objects. The observatory was built in 1600
and still the instruments give the exact
measurements which can match any modern
instrument.
Excursions of Varanasi
Varanasi§ Chunar
Chunargarh of 'Chandrakanta', the
classic novel by Babu Devakinandan Khatri is
40 kms from the city of Varanasi. Today the
place is known as Chunar. Along one of the
meanders of Ganges, where the Kaimur Hills
are taking a North face, are built the
imposing fort of Chunar.
§ Sarnath
About ten kms from Varanasi, is the
place where lord Buddha after enlightenment
gave his first sermon or as the Buddhist say
set the wheel of dharma or law rolling.
Today Sarnath is considered as one of the
richest place to have antiques since the
Ashoka period to the 12th century. Suggested
reading on the Buddhist places in Uttar
Pradesh.
§ Jaunpur
In 1360 Feroz Shah built this town to
guard the eastern side of his Delhi
sultanate. Jaunpur is located 65 kms from
Varanasi. Jaunpur is bisected by the river
Gomti and the two sides are connected by the
massive Akbari Bridge. This bridge was
designed by an Afghan and was built in the
16th century. The fifteen stone arches of
the bridge have withstood earthquakes and
floods. On the southern end of the bridge is
the sculptures of a lion tussling with an
elephant. This marked the provincial
milestone. Other places to visit in Jaunpur
are Sheetla Chowkia Dham, Yamdagni Ashram,
Atla Mosque and Char Anguli ki Masjid.
§ Vindhyachal
There are many Shaktipeeths in India.
These are the places where the Goddess of
power is said to be residing and people
worship her viz- Goddess Durga. Vindhyachal
is one of such peeths or abode of Shakti.
The place is 90 kms from Varanasi. The
temples of Vindhyavasini Devi, Asthbhuja and
Kalikhoh are a must visit here.
§ Kaushambi
The mention of this town can be seen in
the Mahabharata. It is said that the Pandav
brothers lived here. Budhha visited this
place many times and the gave sermons after
his enlightenment in 6th and 9th century.
Kaushambi developed as a major center for
Buddhism. The ruins of an old fort tells the
saga of the towns antiquity. Kaushambi is
185 kms from Varanasi.
§ Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary
Established in 1997,Chandra Prabha
Sanctuary, a small sanctuary sprawling over
an area of 78 sq. kms, is located on Naugarh
and Vijaigarh hillocks in Vindhya forest
range, in Chandauli district.
§ Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary
Kaimoor sanctuary, located on the Uttar
Pradesh - Bihar border, is spread over an
area of 500 sq. kms.
Fairs & Festivals
of Varanasi
§ Kartik Purnima
Celebrated in the month of
November-December is the sacred day, when
the ghats of Varanasi come alive with
thousands of brightly-lit earthern lamps.
§ Buddh Purnima
This festival is celebrated with pomp
and gaiety in Sarnath. This day Lord Buddha
was born. A large fair is held in Sarnath
and the relics of Buddha are taken out in a
procession for public viewing on this day.
Buddh Purnima is celebrated during the month
of May.
§ Ganga Festival
A festive experience like none other
awaits you at Ganga Festival at Varanasi.
§ The Ramlila
The Ramlila of Ramagar is famous far and
wide. The Ramlila is based on the
Ramcharitramanas by Tulsidas. The month ling
festival is usually held during October /
November and it sees the performance of many
ancient rituals.
§ Bharat Milap
Around Dussehra a fair is held in Nati Imli
which celebrates the return of Lord Rama
from 14 years of exile. His reunion with his
younger brother Bharat is celebrated as
Bharat milap. This festival is attended by
the king of Kashi in royal flavour. The
festival is attended by at least a million
devotees. Held in the month of October /
November.
§ Hanumat Jayanti
This festival is celebrated to mark the
birth of the monkey God Hanuman . The five
day long festivities are held at the Sankat
Mochan temple. During this festival many
plays are staged based on the Saraswati, Ram
, Krishnalila and Hanuman Charitra.
§ Nakkatyya
This festival again is based on the
Ramayana. The episode in the epic where the
sister of Ravana tries to influence
Lakshmana to marry her but instead Lakshman
chops off her nose. On hearing this Ravana
vows revenge against the brothers. This
incidence in the epic is one of the reasons
why Sita was abducted by Ravana. The
festival is held in Chetganj with much fan
fair.
§ Mahashivratri
Though Mahashivratri is celebrated
throughout India, Varanasi has some special
charm in the celebration the festival.
During the festival a procession is taken
out from the Maha-Mritunjaya temple to Kashi
Viswanath Temple.
§ Panch Koshi Parikrama
The procession has got the name because
it passes through five places. These five
places are Kardmeshwar, Bhimchandi,
Rameshwar, Shivpur and Kapildhara. The
parikrama has special importance in the
ancient parikramas of India. The procession
starts and ends at Manikarnika Ghat.
§ The Dhrupad Mela
In the month of March a five day long music
festival is organised on the Tulsi Ghats.
during the five days renowned artists from
all over the country perform Dhrupad here.
This festival is one of the major tourist
attraction of Varanasi. |
